Failure of Cameron talks sealed Brexit fate

Failure of Cameron talks sealed Brexit fate

DR Glenn Thomson (Letters, September 10) writes to the effect that the leading Tory lights did not notice that no deal was incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement. I cannot recollect the Irish border being an issue at any point in the referendum campaign, so presumably the Remain campaigners did not notice, either.

It was only when the negotiations started to get under way that it occurred to people that here was a stick which could be used to browbeat the UK, so the Remainers decided to concentrate on the problem, rather than any potential solutions.

As for the claim that the EU is acting in a more "grown-up manner", it had the opportunity to demonstrate this in late 2015/early 2016, when David Cameron and other Government ministers made several trips to European mainland cities, where they were photographed smiling and shaking hands with various European national politicians and senior EU functionaries, all of whom, we were assured, agreed with HM Government on the need for structural and functional reform to various aspects of the EU. Only they didn't (perhaps because Mr Cameron and many others were themselves convinced Remainers, so they saw no reason to make any significant concessions). So all Mr Cameron had to show was a few trivial changes relating to peripheral issues which could be rescinded at the drop of a hat, whilst at the same time, Messrs Draghi, Junker and Tusk were publicly drawing up further changes aimed at extending convergence over the next decade, particularly in the Eurozone.

Contrary to what Remainers seem to firmly believe, I suspect that few of us who voted to leave have a pathological loathing of the EU. We are repeatedly reminded of the narrow margin of victory of the Leave campaign. Had Mr Cameron been able to return with convincing evidence that the EU was prepared to consider and implement change, then sufficient of us Leavers might have decided to put our cross in the “Remain” box instead, leading to a different outcome

Christopher W Ide, Waterfoot.

FOLLOWING the ruling from Scotland's highest court, which has unequivocally found that Boris Johnson unlawfully suspended Parliament in order to "stymie" it ahead of Brexit, MPs are rightly calling for Parliament to be recalled. As the Court of Session judges have declared that "the Prime Minister's advice to HM the Queen and the prorogation which followed thereon was unlawful" it must surely follow that Mr Johnson will be charged with the offence. However, as a previous Prime Minister was never charged with the offence of taking the UK into an unlawful war, it seems depressingly likely that the present incumbent will also wriggle off the hook.

Ruth Marr, Stirling.

MORAG Black (Letters, September 9) quite rightly highlights the most recent high-profile German trade delegation to China. However, having done so she has, in a stroke, drawn attention to one of the key lies of the Leave campaign, namely that the only way for the UK to become truly global was to leave the EU. Germany currently achieves at least six times the exports to China than the UK so how on earth can this be achieved from within the “restrictive” EU? On a fairly recent independent visit to Argentina and Chile German manufacturing exports were everywhere to be seen in the form of cars, buses and even beer and within the last few years Ikea (having recently opened in India) has become the largest global employer. The plain simple fact of the matter is being in the EU in no way restricts any member country from becoming a global player.

As I compile this letter I am becoming aware of the Court of Session ruling in respect of the prorogation of parliament. This is indeed most welcome and there is now every indication Boris Johnson and his henchman Dominic Cummings have well and truly overreached themselves. It was one thing to array the electorate with a litany of falsehoods from the unaccountable Leave campaign but quite a different matter when the scrutiny of Parliament and now the law of the land prevails. It is now absolutely essential for Parliament to be recalled.

I'M with Owen Kelly (Letters, September 11) on a border down the Irish Sea, thus keeping Northern Ireland within the customs union and avoiding a hard border with the Republic. Better still, a right turn up the Solway Firth and along the England/Scotland border would enable Scotland also to remain within the EU customs union while allowing England to satisfy its desire to go its own way outside of Europe.

John Jamieson, Ayr.

AT last I have worked out who Boris Johnson is in classical terms. He is the incarnation of Proteus, the shape changer, who knows all things (or thinks he does) and wriggles out of every situation, a bit like a Marvel super-hero who with one bound is free.

It is so hard to pin him down and keep him honest. Our parliamentarians have done their level best to do so.

They will know they have succeeded only when he begins to question himself. He must not be allowed any wriggle room or he will take us out of the EU on a no deal.

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